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| I know that there is no way you can give me a real explanation of this passage because nobody really knows what the process of incarnication would involve. However I was curious what is your educated opinion of what Philippians 2 would be? Exactly what does this "Kenosis" include? Please explain as best you can and use scripture in as much of the explanation as possible!
I would also like to ask if you have any good books that you would recommend for someone who is new at learning the bible. I want a book that is going to be filled with information on the relationships of passages within the Bible and with facts outside of the Bible. (for example the book I have been reading lately is "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel*** amazing book!!)
| | | The first thing that I would emphasize is that the Biblical text in its entirety is largely a Hebrew book even though there are some of the epistles that were originally written in Greek. However, behind that Greek is a Hebrew mentality and so when you ask the question, “Exactly what does this ‘Kenosis’ include?”, you have to ask yourself what is the Hebrew thought behind this Greek word. I am sure you know that “kenosis” means emptying, an emptying of oneself.
In the Hebrew text, it is much harder to translate word for word, but Philippians 2:7 would translate as follows:
He emptied Himself, or set aside His honor or His reputation and He dressed Himself in the form of a slave and became one likely unto man.
Frankly, I do not see either in the Greek or in the Hebrew text anything all that complicated. That He was God and possessed all power and that He laid that aside, came to Earth and took on Himself the form of man in order that as a human flesh and blood man He could offer the redemptive sacrifice of His incorruptible blood.
In answer to your second question about books that I would recommend, take a look at our list of study aids on our Web site. I would, of course, recommend that you try to gain a rudimentary knowledge of Hebrew where you can utilize the lexical aids that are available and that you try to look at the text from a Hebrew perspective rather than a Greek perspective.
Before you start spending a lot of time in the Epistles, it would be good to get a firm grasp on the words of Jesus, realizing again that His teaching was in Hebrew and only later translated into Greek. If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
Best wishes,
Roy Blizzard, Jr.
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